Little Egret flew off shortly after!

Info thanks to Ian Campbell

Little Egret present this morning.

Info thanks to Ian Campbell

Simon Johnson wrote:

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Ian your Redshank will have been a while later as myself and peter Baron where near the pump house when we heard the Greenshank - you hadnt even arrived at that point.

Si

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Excellent, just glad I hadn't failed to see it. I saw you and P Baron at the pump house as I arrived.
Cheers Ian

Ian your Redshank will have been a while later as myself and peter Baron where near the pump house when we heard the Greenshank - you hadnt even arrived at that point.

Si

Late post for yesterday, interesting that Simon had a Greenshank early a.m. as Ian Peters and myself had a Redshank at what appears to be approx. the same time, we were at the pump house when a wader called circling the res. once, clearly showing the white hind wing, a shank fest at Elton yesterday, pity we missed the Greenshank
Cheers Ian

0730 till 11am with the two ians
1 drake common scoter,still present at 11am
2 common tern
2 siskin, over canal between bennies and the dip

too early - and it wasnt just me who was here too early either - with Peter Baron half way round.

Greenshank heard calling and seen briefly in creek
Oystercatcher heard flying over
150+ Swift
11 Cormorant in one flock south (inc a few juveniles)
Sparrowhawk
6 Sedge Warbler

Coney Green
Reed Warbler singing
30 Lapwing

Four drake Common Scoter this morning & two adult Ringed Plovers on the metre or so of fresh mud that has suddenly appeared.

not a lot
family of bullfinches end of canal and great spotted woodpecker at Spen Moor farm

-- Edited by Ian Boote on Sunday 15th of July 2012 11:39:49 PM

12.30 - 3.30

1 Little Owl at Crow Trees (Thanks Ian )
1 Redpoll
3 Reed Bunting
1 Kestrel
2 G.C. Grebe. There was also 1 dead G.C. Grebe on south side of reservoir towards Capsticks
1 Common Tern
2 Willow Warbler
1 Chiffchaff
1 Mistle thrush
2 Grey Heron
2 Little Grebe

Drake Common Scoter present at 7am this morning.

Yesterday Peregrine on usual pylon Spen Moor.

Hi Ian,

Nice meeting you today and thanks for all your and Harold's help. I found where you said they were but unfortunately missed them. But now I know where to look, as Arnie says, "I'll be back" . I did see the two kestrels on the fence posts in the field with the horses though.

Lee

To add to Ian's previous post, 1 Little Owl showing well at Crow Trees and 2 also by canal, hope you managed to find these Lee.
Cheers Ian

Oystercatcher, female sparrowhawk, two kestrel common tern, two juv grey wagtails in different locations kingfisher usuals

Early a.m. in rain, only observation of note was a Oystercatcher carrying food to nearby factory roof, indicating the presence of young.
Cheers Ian

7.00-9.00 a.m. not much about, 2 Oystercatcher and female Sparrowhawk over res. with 50 Swift and 60-70 Sand Martin. Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat along canal and riverbank.
Cheers ian

Female Whinchat on fence in front of Old Hall farm at 17:45.

-- Edited by Peter Johnson on Monday 25th of June 2012 06:02:58 PM

Also this a.m. 100's of Swift over the res. quite a sight.
Cheers Ian

flock of 6 curlew and a single one seen elsewhere, buzzard mobbed by crow, fly over oystercatcher and family of willow warblers north of res

Both Black Redstart and Juvenile Stonechat still present 6.15pm

Juvenile Stonechat also present on fenceposts towards Bennies

Black Redstart still present at 1405hrs, favouring the isolated hawthorn below the pump house.

A Black Redstart was present in the area below the pump house this morning (info thanks to Ian Peters) and was still present at 11:45 (info thanks to Trevor Lane via Brian Fielding).

Can only add to Ian's previous post that, with regret, the Swans near Bennies appear to have lost their young.
Cheers Ian

6-9.30

first surprising sight at 6am was a bald headed man hanging over a gate shouting 'come on then' at a herd of cows. Farmer he was not. He then asked me the way to Racliffe so I told hom to turn left when he got to Bury Bolton Road. So he should be reaching the Albert Dock later today. Despite his best efforts most things had not flown and sightings included curlew, getting upset by a kestrel, grasshopper warbler, chiffchaff whitethroat, heron sedgewarbler, family of willow warblers, and a reed bunting north of the res. Further south was a dipper at the outflow sedgewarbler on the river skylarks and fly over oystercatcher. Very rainy.

6.30--1pm

north of res curlew seen twice, hear three times
buzzard taking interest in some game chased off by raven two carrion crows
whitethroat, chiffchaff reed bunting grasshopper warbler sedgewarbler all singing.

Canal two kestrel mating another family of swans with young south of crow tree on canal. Oystercatcher over. and a flock of sheep all over the north bank which thankfully ran back into field as i approached so I blocked fence hole up with hawthorn.

Early a.m. with Ian Peters, little to report, Peregrine on pylon 20, single Common Tern and Swan family near Bennies have 3 three day old sygnets.
Cheers Ian

Less Hirundines than yesterday, what was unusual was a high count of 41 Mute Swans also 2 Common Tern and an Oystercatcher.
Cheers Ian

Early a.m. 400 Swift, 120 House Martin and 300ish Sand Martin, spectacular, 5 Oystercatcher, 1 Common Tern and a Dipper feeding young on the river.
Cheers Ian

only things of note
grasshopper warbler, dipper on river oystercatcher lapwings north of res singing skylarks group of chaps in wetskins swimming and burnt out car at doffer fold

saw the mediterranean gull this morning around 10 am sat on bouy flew off over pumphouse around 10.15

-- Edited by swtand62 on Saturday 2nd of June 2012 02:21:10 PM

0745 till 0900
quick visit,not much on
2 common terns
2 oystercatcher

Good to see you again Dennis and Jill....my arms are ready to dop off .....I'm gettin' old. Black Terns are always good birds to watch but they are a bugger to photograph.

Unless im wrong im pretty confident there is sub adult med gull currently at elton. Im 99 % sure. cheers den

4 black terns still present at 6.10

4 Black Terns still present at 3:15pm

Info thanks to Dave Ousey

6.00. Till 8.15


4 cracking Black terns
2 Common Terns
2 Oystercatchers
1 Jay in the creek
1. 1st summer Med Gull made an apperance for 15 mins then was not seen again

cheers Den

-- Edited by Dennis atherton on Sunday 27th of May 2012 09:59:31 PM

Currently 4 Black Terns present at 11:30am

Info thanks to Dave Ousey

3 Black Tern still present when I left at 8.45.
Cheers Ian

hi dave, full article on identification issues,link on homepage.

are there any photos of the possible "thunbergi"?
regards
Dave

me too. 6pm till 8pm tonight. no sign. gotta go for these things. dips are inevitable

Don't worry Mike, your not on your own, I got there at 4.05 straight from work and could not find the Kittiwake , it would have been a GM tick for me also. Common Tern still present.
Cheers Ian

Sorry for the misstype; it should read below:

"Snipe, Common Tern, and Reed Warbler."

Cheers,
Mike P.

It pays to retain a sense of humour sometimes. I put in 4 hours round Elton today (4.30 a.m. to 8.30 a.m.) and had a nice morning with 45 species, best being Snipe, Common Tern and Snipe.
Back here in Durham I see that after we parted, Brian turned up a Kittiwake, (a Gr. Manchester target for me and not an easy one for an "extraterrestrial" to catch up with!)

So well done again Brian; - it serves to whet one's appetite for the next time.

Cheers,
Mike P.

adult kittiwake still present up until 1500 at least,info from peter baron and ian peters.

0715 till 1300
1 adult kittiwake,still present at 1300,elton tick
1 lesser whitethroat
1 reed warbler

0630 till 0830
1 hobby
1 arctic tern through north
1 ringed plover
2 shelduck over northeast
1 peregrine

JasonAtkinson wrote:

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I think I may be right in saying the whole Blue/Grey/Black Headed Wagtail complex is as frustrating as Redpoll ssp.

Cheers
Jason

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They're nicer to look at